After The War
by LV-chan
Summary: DH SPOILERS! You have been warned. Told in Hermione's POV. What happens after the war? Rating for eventual language.
1. Fred's Funeral

**Warning: **This contains spoilers for DH. If you haven't read the book, don't read.

**Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this story belongs to the best writer I know, JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing it for a bit.**

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"I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."

Hermione smiled, squeezing Ron's hand, which was entwined within hers. Ron grinned back at her, but it didn't reach his eyes and lasted only a moment. She felt her own smile fall, as well.

_Fred._

"I'm gonna go check up on Mum," Ron finally said. Hermione nodded and let her hand go limp within his, thinking that he would want to lament his brother's death alone, but was pulled along by Ron as he left the headmaster's office.

"I don't… I don't want to do this by myself," he whispered. She nodded.

A huddle of Weasleys surrounded Fred's body, each mourning the death of their sibling or in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's case, son, in different ways. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing into Mr. Weasley's shoulder, her howls breaking the unbearable hush that often follows a bloodbath. Mr. Weasley patted her back and held her tightly, tears streaming silently down his cheeks. Charlie was sitting in a chair someone had conjured, his face in his hands, a tear dripping to the floor every minute or two. Bill was standing with Fleur, who had a look of immense grief upon her face, holding her as two tears squeezed out of his bright blue eyes. Percy was shaking his head, his hand over his eyes, whispering to himself, "All my fault… all my fault…" Ginny was shaking, her face obscured because Harry was holding her with his back to them. Hermione hadn't realized he had followed them. George was silent, looking into the face of his twin. No tears ran down his face; though the way he held himself and his expression clearly showed that he was in the most pain of all.

Hermione looked once more between the Weasleys and Ron, who was now holding her by the waist with a heartbreaking look on his face. It wasn't long before she was sobbing silently into Ron's chest.

"Ron… I'm so sorry…" she whispered after what felt like a lifetime. She lifted her head and saw that Ginny, Harry, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur had left. She wondered numbly how long she had been crying.

She detached herself from Ron, who heaved a great sigh. His nose was red and blotchy from crying, his eyes red and bloodshot. A large, dark stain on his robes showed where Hermione had been sobbing. He gave Hermione a look of helplessness and murmured, "Thanks."

Hermione felt a hundred years older as she walked to the Gryffindor common room with Ron, which is where she presumed Ginny and Harry went to get some sleep. The scuffling of their shoes as they walked was the only sound audible. It wasn't until the Fat Lady came into sight, sniffling into a sleeve of her silk pink dress, that she realized they didn't know the password to get into the common room.

"Er… We don't know the-"

"Just go in," the Fat Lady said in a broken voice, interrupting Ron. She swung forward to admit them and they climbed through the portrait hole.

Hermione spotted only two people in the common room; Ginny had fallen asleep with her head on Harry's shoulder on the couch. A fire, cackling merrily in the fireplace, seemed to mock them. Ron sank into his usual armchair, defeated. Hermione dropped into her chair after him, staring into the flames.

_To think… I yelled at him when his punching telescope gave me a black eye…_ she thought. Her eyes stayed on the fire, though various scenes from her and Fred's time together played in her mind's eye. A single, final tear rolled down her cheek as she drifted to unconsciousness.

A low whispering reached Hermione's ears. She opened her eyes slowly as the anguish that had gripped her last night crashed down on her once more. Ron and Harry were whispering to one another, probably so that they wouldn't wake Ginny, who was still nestled on Harry's shoulder.

"Morning," Hermione whispered. Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise; they had not noticed her waking up.

"Morning. How did you sleep?" Ron asked anxiously.

"About as well as you did, I suppose," she answered. Ron almost smiled. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as Ginny stirred. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning," the trio greeted her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before saying "morning" blearily back.

"We oughta get to Hagrid's hut. That's where they said they were taking him until they could decide where to…" Ron trailed off. Harry nodded and stood up, followed by Ginny. His hand grasped hers reflexively; Ron and Hermione stood up and did the same.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked Ron in a low whisper once they got outside. Ron forced a smile.

"No, but I will be. What about you?" He asked, squeezing her hand. He knew she was upset much easier than he was.

"I'm… okay. Better now than I was last night. I'm just glad this is all over," she whispered back shakily.

"Yeah. No more Death Eaters, no more worrying, no more Voldemort…" Ron murmured. Hermione looked at him, shocked.

"You've never said his name before," she said numbly.

"Yeah, well… now I have, haven't I?" he asked lamely. She smiled at him as they went around Hagrid's hut, where the Weasleys, Harry, and Hagrid were in view.

"Morning Ron, Hermione," said Mrs. Weasley kindly. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she gave them a weak smile. Her eyes darted to their hands clasped together, and the smile became genuine.

"Morning, Mum," Ron said.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered; she still seemed unable to raise her voice above a half-whisper.

Ron and Hermione made the way through the small, red-haired crowd to see George and Hagrid digging what would be Fred's grave.

"We're gonna bury him here… in the p-pumpkin patch, it was where he buried my Prefect badge on the first day I had it at Hogwarts," Percy told them. His eyes mirrored his mother's in that they were crimson and swollen, and his face was even paler than hers.

"Wouldn't he have wanted to be buried at the Burrow?" Hermione asked Ron breathlessly. He shook his head.

"Nah, he got into much more trouble at Hogwarts. He told us once, about a year ago, that if he would… you know… he wanted to be buried at Hogwarts."

With a final grunt, Hagrid threw his shovel to the side and said, "tha' should about do it." George wordlessly followed suit and his shovel went sailing through the air.

"Here," Mr. Weasley muttered, giving Fred's body to Hagrid, who took it like he would a small, fragile child. He knelt down and carefully lowered Fred's cold, still body, once so active and full of life, into the grave. George just stared down at his twin, pure suffering in his eyes, which were so like those of the brother he now had to bury.

Charlie lifted the earth Hagrid and George had just uncovered and hesitated a moment before letting it fall gracefully over Fred, obscuring his face, still frozen in a laugh, from view.

"Why isn't he in a coffin?" Hermione whispered to Ron, who was holding her by the waist once more. She didn't want to interrupt the makeshift funeral, but she wanted to know why Fred wasn't being given a normal burial.

"He wouldn't want to be in a box," Ron answered. He gripped her still tighter as Charlie used his wand to pack the earth down gently.

No one spoke for a minute. The Weasleys were gazing at Fred's grave, which still needed a headstone. Finally, George lifted his wand wordlessly and conjured a massive circular headstone. It read:

**Fred Weasley**

**Here lies the best brother you could ever imagine and the best son you could ever want. He loved to laugh and make others laugh, especially through the bad times. He will never be forgotten.**

Hermione wasn't sure how long they stood there. It wasn't until she realized that both her legs were asleep from standing still so long that she looked up from Fred's grave, lost in memories. The sun was almost down, and the moon was already visible in the rapidly darkening sky.

"We should get back home, everyone." Mr. Weasley said after a few more minutes. Wordless acknowledgement came from everyone standing, except for Hagrid, who started howling.

"I'm really gonna… gonna miss yer. Make sure ter write! An'…an' stop by every once 'n a while…" he sobbed.

"Hagrid, you're coming with, of course," Harry said in disbelief.

"No, I – I couldn'… My home is a' Hogwarts, an' yers is the Burrow…" he said thickly, through the tears that were now drenching his beard.

"You're not going to stay the summer?" Ginny asked quietly. Hagrid broke out into a watery smile.

"Coul'…could I?" He asked sheepishly.

"Of course, Hagrid. You don't have to spend three months here. And Harry, Hermione… you're living with us as well. Hermione, you can find your parents and lift the spell whenever you want, but you're going to be living with us until then, of course," Mrs. Weasley said matter-of-factly. She had stopped crying a few minutes before.

Hermione broke out into a nervous smile as Mr. Weasley said, "alright, let's all go on three. Hagrid, I know you can't Apparate, so you can Side-Along with me. One… Two…"

Ron entwined Hermione's hand within his own once again.

"…Three!"

With a _POP_, the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid saw the Burrow in front of them.

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Hope you guys like it... It's my first Harry Potter fiction. Please review; flames are expected.


	2. Decisions

**A/N:** First off, let me thank everyone who reviewed! You guys really made my day - reviews are always a great pick-me-up! Alrighty, I'll shut up now so you can get to he next chapter. (Btw - I'm not too crazy about this chapter. But the fic will get much better, I promise!)

**Disclaimer: You all know HP belongs to the great JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing her characters. I'll put 'em back though, I promise ;)**

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Hermione pointed her wand out the window.

"Accio purse!" She called. Sure enough, a moment later her purse that she had magically enlarged from the inside came zooming through the window, landing in her outstretched hand. She rummaged through it, glad she had packed all of her clothing and money.

"We oughta go downstairs for some dinner," Ginny said from behind her. Hermione spun around and saw that Ginny looked happy, despite the recent tragedy that had struck her family. No doubt who was to thank for that.

"Alright, I'll be down in a minute. Let me just make my bed first," Hermione said, pulling at the sheets. Ginny nodded and left the room. Hermione would be bunking with her, just like always. After making her bed as neat as she could with a flick of her wand, she left the room and walked downstairs to see Mrs. Weasley fussing over a pot filled with thick soup.

"Hermione, dear, we're eating outside tonight. Would you mind taking the napkins and silverware out for me?" She asked kindly. Hermione beamed at her, glad that she was finally smiling again.

"Not at all."

"Thanks, dear," Mrs. Weasley responded. Hermione turned her wand to a stack of napkins on the counter and sent them soaring to the table barely visible out the back door, where they landed neatly at the head of the table. With another flick of her wand, she sent the silverware zooming alongside them. She could have just as easily carried everything, but it was nice to do magic just because she could.

Soon, everyone was seated around the table, which had to be enlarged to nearly twice its normal size to accommodate Hagrid. Hermione sat between Ron and Ginny, the latter deep in conversation with Harry, was sat on her other side.

"Hermione?" Came Ron's quiet voice next to her. She looked away from Harry and Ginny and saw that his face was upset and anxious.

"What's wrong, Ron?" She asked. He seemed to struggle with himself before answering.

"When are you going to go see your parents and lift the spell?" He asked after a moment.

Hermione frowned. Truth be told, she hadn't even thought of her parents in the longest time. She knew that they were healthy and happy, though. Part of the spell she had used on them would have let her know if anything had happened to them. If they had been killed, four fiery red letters would have hovered a foot from her head – GONE. Thankfully, this had not happened in the nine months it had been since she had bewitched them.

"I don't know. Soon, I suppose. I want to see them again and lift the spell," she said. Ron nodded and returned to his soup, though Hermione couldn't help but notice that his face had fallen.

"You're coming with me, right?" She added. Ron's eyes widened.

"But… wouldn't you rather do this by yourself? You haven't seen them in nearly a year. Don't you want to, I dunno, catch up?" Ron asked, poorly disguising the hope in his voice. Hermione laughed.

"Catch up? Ron, you were there the entire time, and I don't think I'll feel like telling them the entire story _by myself_. Plus, I want them to meet you properly. I know you met them when we were twelve, but you've changed since then," she told him. He grinned shiftily.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" He asked.

"I'll let you figure that one out for yourself," she laughed.

"We're coming too, right?" Asked Ginny from Hermione's right. Hermione bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Ginny and Harry were looking at Hermione with raised eyebrows. True, she wanted Ginny and Harry to meet her parents, but she also wanted some alone time with Ron. She hadn't forgotten what had transpired between them in the Room of Requirement after they came out of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Um… Yeah, of course," Hermione said in a falsely cheery voice, though she couldn't help her face from falling slightly. She saw Ron's grin fade a bit, too, and took his hand under the table to reassure him that this wasn't her original intention. Harry and Ginny had turned back into their own conversation.

"Sorry," she mouthed to him. He smiled and squeezed her hand under the table before ripping his hand out of her grasp; he needed both his hands to eat normally.

_Ron has changed so much from second year…_ she thought to herself as she ate. _From a __geeky little red-headed __prat__ to… what?_ She asked herself. She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. It was true; she wasn't sure how to describe Ron. He was just… Ron.

Her grin widened.

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Like I said, not my best... Hope you guys liked it anyway! Reviews are always appreciated. Flames are expected, as always.

PAge 625 love.


	3. Midnight Talk

Ta-da! I now present you with the slightly-better-than-chapter-2 chapter 3! Hope you all like it; it was fun to write. It's also not one of my favorite chapters, but I promise you that the next oen will be better! Fangirl's honor! And as always, hugs and kisses to my lovely reviewers. You guys are awesome!

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling is a genius and I give credit where credit's due! **

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"Um… Ginny?" Hermione asked timidly from her bed. A small clock on the wall told Hermione that it was nearly midnight, but she knew better than to think that Ginny would be asleep yet.

"Yeah?" Said Ginny, sounding half-asleep.

"How are we going to tell your mum?" Hermione asked. She had been brooding on the dilemma ever since the thought entered her head; Mrs. Weasley already had so much to deal with. How would she take knowing that her youngest son and only daughter were going to leave again after such a tragedy had struck their family?

"I dunno. I've been wondering about that, too. I don't imagine she'll be too mad, but I know that she'll cry a good bit," Ginny answered. Hermione nodded to herself and was quiet a moment before throwing another question into the air.

"D'you think she'll try to stop us?"

Ginny laughed. "She's not going to stop _you_. And she probably won't stop Ron; she's wanted you two to get together for about three years now. She knows she can't stop Harry. Me, on the other hand…" Ginny trailed off, obviously peeved. Hermione sighed.

"Speaking of my brother, _are_ you guys finally together now, or what?" Ginny asked casually.

"Um… well, I guess so," Hermione said lamely.

"What do you mean, 'I guess so'?" Ginny asked, curious.

"It's complicated… I mean, we kissed right before we got the diadem, but-"

"Ron plucked up the courage to kiss you?" Ginny asked, sounding shocked and impressed. Hermione smiled as the scene played over in her head.

"Actually, I kissed him… Kinda threw myself at him, actually," she admitted, the smallest of blushes creeping up her face.

"Hermione! _You_ made the first move?" Ginny asked, positively astonished. Both the girls were sitting up in their beds now; Hermione could see Ginny's face clearly in the semidarkness.

"Yeah… Why so shocked?" Hermione asked, a little offended. Was it really that hard to believe that she would take the plunge first?

"I'm just surprised you cracked before Ron did," Ginny said, smirking.

Well. That was unexpected.

"What?"

"We all knew that you and Ron liked each other. We actually had a bet going as to when you guys would wise up and who would crack and kiss the other one first. That reminds me, Charlie and I owe Bill and George 10 galleons," Ginny said in a would-be casual voice.

"You had a bet on Ron and I?!" Hermione exclaimed in the loudest whisper she could.

"Yep. Bill and George thought that you would crack first, but George and I had more confidence in you… thanks a lot, by the way," Ginny added.

"I can't believe this…" Hermione muttered, though she was grinning. Ginny laughed, then joined Hermione on her bed.

"So how'd it happen? I know you want to retell the story; it's all over your face," she laughed. Hermione smiled, her teeth flashing a bit in the moonlight that peeped through Ginny's blinds.

"Alright, so we just came back from the chamber of secrets, and Ron and I had these basilisk fangs so we could use the poison to destroy the horcruxes. Anyway, Harry was telling you that you had to come back to the Room of Requirement, and Ron said that we'd forgotten someone. I had no idea who he was talking about, so I asked, and he said something about house-elves! I remember Harry asking if we should get them fighting, and I started to get mad, like really really mad, because I was sure that that was what Ron wanted to do, but then he said that we should tell them to get out, because he didn't want them to die for us. When I realized that he was being completely serious, I just kinda forgot about everything else… all I wanted to do was kiss Ron before it was too late. It was amazing, he's a really good kiss-"

"Stop, stop!" Ginny interjected, throwing up her hands as if to stop traffic. "I don't need the details on my brother's snogging abilities, thanks," she laughed.

"Sorry," Hermione chuckled. After a moment, Ginny let out a low whistle.

"Wow, Hermione Granger and my brother… after all these years," she said.

"I know. I just wish I would've done it sooner. Think about how much time we could've had. Years…" Hermione trailed off.

"So how long have you liked him? Actually, let me rephrase that. How long have you _known_ you liked him?" Ginny whispered. Hermione smiled as she thought back.

"Fourth year. That's why I said yes to Viktor, you know. To make Ron jealous. I feel bad for having used him now, but we became friends in the end… but I'm not sure how long that'll go on; Ron's so jealous…" Hermione fretted. Ginny chuckled.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that anymore. In fact, I bet that Ron'll just jump at the next chance he gets to see Viktor. To show you off, you know? Brag about getting you," Ginny said. Hermione knew she should've been offended at the thought of being shown off, but it didn't stop the smile that was spreading slowly at her lips.

"Really? You don't think he'd get all mad and jealous like he usually does?" Hermione asked, despite herself. Ginny grinned.

"Nope. He was only all mad and jealous before because he thought you like Viktor more than him. In fact, that whole thing with Lavender in your 6th year was just because I told him you snogged Viktor," Ginny said.

"You're telling me that _you_ started that?!" Hermione nearly shouted. Ginny's grin disappeared.

"Um… Please don't be mad at me! I didn't realize he'd attach himself to Lavender to try to make you jealous! I thought he would just make his move quicker! I was trying to help, I swear!" Ginny pleaded. Hermione's haughty expression cleared in a moment.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at you… It's my fault, anyway. I'm the one who used someone to make him jealous first," Hermione whispered.

"It's all water under the bridge now anyway, right? You and Ron are together now, even if you haven't really had the boyfriend-girlfriend talk. You aren't going to be hooking up with anyone else and I know damn well that Ron only has eyes for you. I think-"

"Hermione! Ginevra! Go to bed!" Shouted Mrs. Weasley from outside their room, making them both jump. Thankfully, she must have only just heard them whispering, or else she would've yelled at them much sooner than that.

"Sorry, Mum!" Ginny said, going back to her own bed.

"Yeah, sorry Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione called. She heard Mrs. Weasley walk past their door and go up the stairs to her and Mr. Weasley's room.

Hermione fell asleep that night with _Ron only has eyes for you_ replaying through her head, a smile on her face.

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-shakes head-

Like I said, not my favorite. Again. I'm really sorry about the lack of Ron! Truly I am! I promise that the next chapter will be padded with extra R/Hr fluff! Because us R/Hr shippers need to celebrate our staggering victory over the H/H shippers (blech!), via page 625 xD

Please review! And once again, flames are expected! Though I might just say that I'm extremely grateful for the fact that I have no flames yet to date! Wonders never cease!


	4. Walking Around Town

As always, thanks to my wonderful reviewers! Before I present this next chapter (which has extra-fluffy RonHermione goodness, as promised ;D) I just wanna answer some questions that have been asked. About Lupin and Tonks' funeral, I decided to not put it in here. Sorry. I'm lazy xP. And as for Ginny saying that she and George thought that Ron would crack first in the last chapter, I only didn't have her mention Fred because she's still very torn up about his death - sorry that I didn't make that very clear.

And now! Without further adieu, I present the next chapter!

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_What time is it…? I'm always up before Ginny,_ she thought to herself. She checked the small clock on the wall to her left and saw with a shock that it was already 11 in the morning. She was about to get out of bed when a soft knock came from her door, followed by Ron's worried voice.

"Hermione? You up?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute. I just woke up," Hermione answered, pulling on a pair of jeans at a speed she didn't think possible. She searched her trunk for a shirt that wasn't covered in blood or muck, wincing at the fact that she hadn't had time to wash her clothing yet. She tugged on a black tank top and opened the door, glad that the ponytail she had put her hair in the night before had stayed while she slept.

"Hey, sorry," she breathed, closing the door behind her. Ron's previously nervous face broke out into a smile.

"I was gettin' kinda worried there. Usually you're up before all of us," Ron laughed. Hermione grinned as she followed him down the stairs.

"Yeah, I know. I think that the fatigue from the last couple months is starting to set in for me," she replied. Hermione was happy to see that Mrs. Weasley was smiling as she prepared lunch for everyone.

"Morning, Hermione! You woke up so late that I set your breakfast aside, over there," she pointed at a plate of eggs and toast with her wand, "So you could eat it when you got up."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. It looks great," Hermione said, and sat down at the table to eat her breakfast. She just realized that she was famished. The wooden chair next to her squealed as Ron sat down.

"Where are Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked after a moment, to distract Ron. He had been watching her eat; something that made her a little uncomfortable. Her question had the desired effect. Ron narrowed his eyes and frowned. His gaze flickered to the front door.

"They're down at the village. Said they needed to talk," he said curtly. Hermione laughed.

"You _do_ realize that they're together now? They're going to be alone together all the time now. It's not going to do any good to be all big brother overprotective," she reminded him. Ron folded his arms.

"I'm not being all _big brother overprotective…_" he sniffed. "I just don't want a repeat of last year. She was really messed up when he broke up with her."

"Yeah… and you don't want your best friend snogging your little sister," Hermione laughed.

"Hmph," Ron grunted. Hermione swallowed her last bite of toast and cleaned her plate with a flick of her wand.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Hermione asked, sending her plate zooming into a cabinet. It landed atop a tower of other plates with a _clink_.

"I could show you the town," Ron suggested. "We haven't really been able to just walk around without the Invisibility Cloak for a while."

"Good idea," Hermione said, getting up. "Let's go."

"Bye Mum," Ron said, passing her on his way through the kitchen.

"Thanks for saving me some breakfast, Mrs. Weasley. It was great," Hermione said.

"Not at all, dear. You two have fun. And be back in time for lunch!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. It was a beautiful day outside. Hermione could feel the heat on her skin as she stepped out from the shade.

"So, I was thinking… How are we going to tell your mum that we're leaving? She was in such a good mood earlier. I don't want to ruin that for her," Hermione fretted.

"Relax, Hermione. She asked me this morning if Harry and I were going with you, and she didn't seem too upset when I told her yes. She was gonna try and stop Ginny going, but I told her that she wasn't gonna have much luck with that," Ron explained. They were entering the town now, passing Muggle restaurants and a small park.

"That's good. I'm just not sure how long we're going to be gone… I want to spend some time with my parents after I lift the spell, obviously, but I belong in the wizarding world. And we all still need to take our N.E.W.T.s," she said matter-of-factly. Ron stopped in his tracks.

"You're going back to Hogwarts?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, of course. You mean to tell me you haven't even thought about going back?" Hermione asked in an equally disbelieving tone.

"Well… no. I mean, with Voldemort dead and Fred gone…" Ron murmured, his voice trailing off into nothingness. Hermione flung herself at Ron, pulling him into a back-crushing hug.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bring that up! I'm really, really sorry! I know how much pain you must be in right now, I'm so sorry!" She babbled, hugging him tighter.

"Hermione… can't… breathe!" He choked out.

"Oh… right… sorry…" she said, pulling away as if stung. She was blushing furiously, though she was not nearly as red as Ron.

"It's okay… just give me some warning next time, okay?" He breathed, laughing a little. Hermione giggled and resumed walking, glad to feel the heat that had been flooding her face a moment before recede.

"Wow… going back to Hogwarts… it's gonna be so weird," Ron marveled.

"Not really… I mean, yeah, in the beginning, but everyone'll calm down a bit after a month or two," Hermione reasoned.

"Yeah, I guess. So… when are we going to leave to lift the spell from your parents?" Ron asked.

"I'd rather it be sooner than later," Hermione admitted. "Is tomorrow too early, do you think?"

"Nah, it's better that we leave before Mum changes her mind and tries to stop us. Do you think-"

But Ron turned a nasty shade of purple and did not finish his sentence. Hermione glanced away from the garden she had been looking at and saw that Ron was glaring into the window of a coffee shop she had passed moments ago.

"Ron, what are you staring-?"

But then Hermione caught sight Harry and Ginny in the window, having a very physical conversation. Ron's face turned darker by the second.

"Ron… we should go. You know that this is going to be happening more and more now that they're back together," Hermione reasoned. Ron didn't appear to have heard her.

"I'm gonna kill him," he growled.

"Ron!" Hermione said sharply. She sighed and grabbed his arm.

"Let's go. I need to get you out of here before you murder Harry," she told him, tugging on his sleeve. He allowed himself to be led away, though the glare remained on his face.

"Do they have to do that in public?" He asked grumpily after a minute of angry silence. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the half-angry, half-helpless look on Ron's face.

"Cut them some slack! They haven't really been together for nearly a year," she replied soothingly.

"But in public? It's disgusting!" Ron spat. Hermione laughed and realized that she was still holding onto his arm. She couldn't help but notice the way the sun hit his fiery hair, illuminating a few strands that stuck up in awkward angles in the back of his head…

"Hermione? What are you staring at?" Ron asked. "Is there something in my teeth, or-"

Hermione giggled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She felt his shock at her sudden closeness, but he responded to her lips on his with surprising force. She broke off as the need for oxygen became more and more apparent.

"Still think kissing in public is disgusting?" She asked cheekily. Ron grinned.

"Well, when you put it like that…" he said, that classic just-got-clubbed look plastered on his face, "I guess it's not _so_ bad."

"Hey! Hermione, Ron!" called a familiar voice in the distance. They both spun around, hands now clasped together, to see Ginny and Harry walking up to them.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Ginny giggled, obviously noting Hermione's slightly messed up ponytail and both their blushing faces.

"Um… No…" said Ron almost guiltily. Harry chuckled as the foursome started walking together to nowhere in particular.

"No? Really?" He asked innocently.

"Shut up," Ron said, taking a swipe at the back of Harry's head. He ducked and laughed.

"We were just talking about when we're going to leave to lift the spell on my parents," Hermione explained. "We were thinking about tomorrow. What do you guys think?"

"Tomorrow sounds great. It'll give Mum less time to try to stop me going," Ginny replied cheerily. Harry nodded.

"Speaking of your mum, we'd better get back. She told us to be back by lunch, and it's noon now," Hermione said, checking her watch. The other three nodded and they turned around, walking back to the Burrow in the brilliant sunshine.

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Hope everyone liked this chapter! It was fun to write :D

Please review! And still no flames... this will never cease to amaze me! You guys are too good to me :)


	5. Teddy

I'M SO SORRY!!! I haven't had a lot of time to write lately, and I'll admit that I've been kinda lazy... -waits to be pummeled-

Anyways, I finally managed to get this down... and I tried to make it longer than my other chapters, in apology for making you all wait this long without an update TT

**Disclaimer: They all belong to JK Rowling, not me.**

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"Back so soon, dears? I wasn't expecting you for another half-hour, at least!"

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry walked into the kitchen to see Mrs. Weasley stirring a large pot of soup with her wand. Her eyes were faintly pink, as though they had been bloodshot an hour before. She was smiling when she saw them, though.

"You _did_ tell us to be back for lunch," Ron reminded her.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked curiously. Mrs. Weasley returned to her stirring before answering.

"Arthur and Percy are at the Ministry, sorting everything out. They should be back any minute. Charlie, Bill, Hagrid, and Fleur are at Hogwarts, helping to repair it a bit. Minerva could have sorted it out in about a minute, but I think she wanted to hear the full story for herself," Mrs. Weasley said with a kind smile to Harry.

"Where's George?" Ginny asked quietly. Mrs. Weasley's face seemed to tauten before answering.

"He's… in his room. And nobody is going to disturb him, is that clear?" She said sternly. Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded solemnly.

"Oh, look! Percy and Arthur are coming home," she said, looking at the unusual clock that she had finally put back up on the wall. Hermione grinned when she saw that not a single one of the hand pointed to "mortal peril" any longer. Fred's hand pointed to "home." Hermione reminded herself to ask Ron about that later, when they weren't in such delicate company.

"We're home!" Mr. Weasley shouted from the garden. He and Percy walked into the kitchen, both looking tired but happy. "It's a madhouse in there. Kingsley's already looking burnt-out; I dunno how he's going to manage it all."

"I'm sure it'll quiet down after a while," Mrs. Weasley said before giving Mr. Weasley a quick peck on the cheek. She did the same with Percy, who sat beside his father at the table.

There was a loud _POP_ as Charlie apparated into the kitchen, followed by Hagrid, Bill, Fleur, and Andromeda Tonks, who was holding a small bundle of blankets.

"Look who's coming for lunch!" Bill said cheerily.

"Andromeda! How are you?" Mrs. Weasley said kindly. Hermione noticed the worry and frown lines that were never there before on Mrs. Tonks' face, though she looked happy now.

"Better," she said. "I thought that Teddy should been his godfather!"

Hermione looked at Harry, who grinned at the word. The four of them peeked into the bundle of blankets that Mrs. Tonks was holding and saw Teddy Lupin, his hair a vivid green. He smiled at them and giggled.

"He likes you!" Mrs. Tonks said happily. "Do you want to hold him?"

Harry looked alarmed by this question.

"I'm not sure if I should-"

"Nonsense, dear. He's not very heavy, and he wants to say hello!"

Harry gulped and took the baby that Mrs. Tonks handed him, looking worried. He held the baby gingerly, as if he was an extremely fragile doll.

"Hi, Teddy," he whispered. Teddy giggled again and Harry's face broke out into a grin.

"He looks so much like his dad," he said, letting the others look at him. Hermione had to agree. While he had Tonks' rapidly-changing hair and her nose, he had Lupin's eyes and chin.

A small creak sounded from the stairs as George joined his family.

"Hey, George," they said in unison. George looked haggard, as if he had suddenly aged far more than he should have. But when he heard everyone talk at once, his face broke out into a grin.

"Hey, guys. Mom, what's for lunch?" He asked, walking over to the pot of soup she was still stirring with her wand.

"Soup, dear. And it's finished, so why don't we all sit down and eat?" Mrs. Weasley said kindly. She took her wand from the boiling pot of soup and levitated the battered wooden table to the back yard. People began filing out of the overcrowded kitchen. Harry gave Teddy back to Mrs. Tonks and took Ginny's hand as they walked outside. Hermione saw with relief that Ron didn't seem angry.

Once everyone was seated and had a bowl of steaming soup in front of them, the usual chatter broke out. Bill and Fleur were deep in conversation with Hagrid and Charlie. Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Percy were talking about the Ministry. Mrs. Tonks was talking to George lightly, and she had an expression that made Hermione think she was choosing her words very carefully.

"Wow… you have a godson," Ginny said to Harry, grinning a bit. "How was that?"

"It was… weird. I don't expect I'll get used to it until I've spent more time with him, when we get back from finding Hermione's parents," Harry replied.

"Speaking of that, did you tell her that we've decided on tomorrow?" Ginny asked Ron and Hermione. Ron shook his head.

"We should tell her after lunch, I think," Hermione said. They nodded.

"Imagine how it's going to be, being in the same year as Ginny at Hogwarts," Ron thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, shooting him a quizzical look.

"Well, you're a seventh year now, aren't you? And we didn't go for our last year, so we're still seventh years. I wonder who else is going back," Ron wondered.

"I'm sure all the seventh years who went last year are going to redo their last year," Hermione said logically. "I mean, you can't really call that an adequate last year of school."

"I guess you're right. But it's still going to be weird," Harry said.

"Really weird," Ron repeated.

"I wonder who the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be. And Transfiguration, too, now that McGonagall's Headmistress," Ginny wondered.

"I dunno. But whoever they are, I bet they'll last more than a year," Harry replied, grinning.

"So, where exactly did you send your parents, Hermione?" Ron asked. "Australia is a big country."

"They were in Sydney when I left. I don't see any reason for them to have left," Hermione said. "I know exactly where they live, too, so we shouldn't be there long."

"How long do you want to visit them for?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe two weeks or so."

"Only two weeks? But you haven't talked to your parents for almost a year! Surely you'll want to spend more time with them than that," Ron asked.

"Well, it's not really any different than when I'm at school. I don't talk to them then, either. Besides, I belong in this world. They'll understand. I told them everything before I put the memory charm on them, and when I lift the spell, they'll hopefully remember everything I told them before that," Hermione responded. Ron grinned abruptly.

"What are you so happy about?" Hermione asked curiously.

"We've never been to your house before," he said slyly. "I can't wait to see what your room looks like. Is there even any space on the walls that isn't entirely covered in bookshelves?" He asked innocently.

"Yes, there is! I don't have any books in my room," Hermione sniffed. Ron looked at Hermione like she was crazy.

"What…? But… You…" He sputtered.

"I don't have any books in my room," Hermione said over his stuttering, "because we have a library-slash-study in the basement."

"You have a library? In your house?" Ron asked weakly. Harry and Ginny snorted into their soup.

"Yeah… Well, I ought to have told you this before, but I'm kind of… rich," Hermione finished lamely. Ron seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, but Harry spoke before he could.

"Well, I always thought so. I was raised by Muggles – I know that dentists are usually loaded," he shrugged.

"Harry! I am not _loaded_…" Hermione reprimanded him.

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Ron asked. Hermione was relieved to see that he looked amused, as opposed to angry.

"It never came up. Besides, money's not important," Hermione replied. Ron and Ginny looked at their now empty soup bowls.

"Is everyone done?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice magically magnified so she wouldn't have to shout.

"Yes," everyone chorused.

"Good. Because we have loads of cleaning and chores to do…"

A unanimous groan sounded from the table as Mrs. Weasley went into the kitchen, levitated in the air with her wand. Mr. Weasley followed her, shooting the rest of the table a weary look.

"Come on you lot, you heard her…" he said. Grumbling broke out as everyone stood up and took their plates into the kitchen. Percy levitated the table back into the kitchen, and Bill and Fleur transported the chairs.

"Um, Mrs. Weasley…" Hermione asked timidly.

"Hmmm?" She asked as she flicked her wand and a sponge leaped off the windowsill in front of the sink, scrubbing a dish vigorously.

"We decided that we're going to go get my parents tomorrow," Hermione said, with the expression of a person walking into a minefield. Mrs. Weasley bit her lip.

"Well, I won't pretend that it's a bit earlier than I expected…" she said worriedly.

"We'll be back before you know it," Ron said quickly. Mrs. Weasley broke out into a smile and pulled Ron and Ginny in for a bear hug.

"You'd better wait until I'm up to leave!" She warned them fiercely.

"We will," Ron and Ginny chorused, their voices muffled.

"All right… now you four go and help Arthur clean up. There's a lot of work that needs to be done around here!" Mrs. Weasley said briskly, sounding much more like her usual self.

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Hope everyone liked this chapter! Reviews are appreciated. 


	6. The Remembrance Draught

First of all, I want to thank each and every person who reviewed - you guys are awesome! I check my email first thing in the morning and am always happy for the rest of the day after reading your reviews! This one is a little longer - I'm trying to make the chapters longer. Baby steps, people. xD Also this chapter has a lot of dialogue. Sorry if you don't like reading it so much, but I really like writing it. Hope you like it even if it isn't your thing!

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Hermione stumbled into Ginny's room and flopped on her bed, too tired to even turn on the light. Mrs. Weasley had kept them all hard at work with cleaning and cooking dinner and dessert. Hermione had a hunch that all this cleaning and cooking was being done to distract herself from grief.

"Oh… my… god… I thought we'd never get done. Who knew a single house could accumulate so much mold?" Ginny asked wearily, flicking on the light on her way to her bed.

"I know. For the first time in my life, I'm mad because your house is run by magic. Muggle houses can't sprout extra floors when there are too many guests, you know," Hermione replied irritably, her voice barely audible due to the fact she was laying face-down on her pillow.

"Yeah, well. It distracts Mum. She's been so busy with housework that she really hasn't had time to mourn. I expect she'll be a mess when we're gone, though," Ginny sighed. Hermione lifted her head from her pillow and saw her press her fingers to her temples.

"I really do feel bad about leaving her so soon," Hermione said softly, biting her lip.

"I know. She's been so-"

_CRACK._

Ginny and Hermione started at the earsplitting noise. Harry and Ron stood in their room, both of them grinning.

"For the love of Merlin! You two could just walk down the hall! It would take you about five seconds longer!" Ginny screeched. Harry's grin widened.

"You were right, that _was_ fun," Ron laughed. Ginny punched him.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being a git!"

"I was not being a git!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes before shouting in unison, "Will you two give it a rest!"

The four of them looked at each other for a fraction of a second, then broke out into gales of laughter.

"So, what are you two doing here? If your Mum catches you in our room at," -Hermione squinted at the clock on Ginny's wall- "11:30, she'll murder you."

"We wanted to talk about tomorrow," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, like what exactly are we going to do? Are we going to go to your house first, or are we going to go strait to Sydney?" Ron asked, sitting next to Hermione on her bed. She moved over to make more room for him as Harry slid down next to Ginny on her bed. Hermione noticed the haughty expression on Ron's face and cleared her throat loudly.

"I need to go to my house first. I stashed the ingredients I knew I would need to make the potion I'm going to use to lift the spell on my parents there, for when it was over," Hermione explained. Ron looked confused.

"A potion? I thought you Charmed them. How is a potion going to help?" He asked, the quizzical expression still on his face.

"I used the strongest Memory Charm I could find, one much stronger than Obliviate – one no Death Eater could break. The only way to lift the spell is to brew the Remembrance Draught, perform the spoken incantation, and…" Hermione broke off and gave Ron an almost guilty look.

"The Remembrance Draught? Isn't that Dark Magic? And what else do you have to do?" Harry asked sharply.

"Oh, all right. Yes, it's Dark Magic, but it was the strongest thing I could find. The spell is Dark, as well. I just didn't want my parents to be hurt," Hermione explained embarrassedly. Her face was a very faint pink.

"What's the third thing you have to do?" Ron inquired impatiently, though worry showed plainly on his face. Hermione sighed before answering and did not look at Ron as she did.

"It requires a blood sacrifice. My blood, actually, and a lot of it. The Remembrance Draught requires five pounds of blood from the person who cast the spell in the first place."

A stunned silence greeted the end of Hermione's explanation. Hermione looked around the room nervously. Ginny was looking at her as if she was scared for her sanity. Harry looked shocked, his face ghost-white. That was nothing compared to how Ron looked, though. He was staring at her, his blue eyes wide and fearful, and all the blood seemed to have left his face, making the contrast of his freckles startling.

"No," Ron said finally.

"What?" Asked Hermione, confused. _Does he really think I'm wrong about this? After all the time I spent researching this potion?_

"You're not going to put yourself on the verge of death for the sake of some potion. We're going to find another way to do this, a way that won't put you in danger," Ron said calmly. Hermione sighed.

_I was afraid it was going to happen like this_, she thought.

"Ron, listen to me. _There is no other way._ If I don't make that potion, my parents will never remember me. They'll go the rest of their lives in Australia, and nothing else is going to get their memories back. I have to do this," Hermione said gently. Ron let out a hiss of frustration and started pacing around the room, breathing heavily.

"This is just sick," he said finally, a look of helplessness on his face. His eyes were wide and fearful again. "Is it even possible to take that much blood from yourself and _not_ die?!"

"Ron, calm down. We're going to go down to St. Mungo's tomorrow and get enough Blood-Replenishing Potion to make this work," said Ginny sternly. It was obvious that she had just done some very quick thinking.

"How do you know they'll give it to us? I know that Blood-Replenishing Potion is extremely hard to make – it's not like we can just buy hospital supplies," Harry said quietly. A grin flitted across Ginny's face.

"You're _Harry Potter._ You just killed the most evil wizard of all time. Do you _really_ think they're going to refuse you anything?" Ginny asked slyly. Harry laughed.

"No, I guess not."

Ginny laughed again and leaned into kiss him, but stopped short at the angry red hue coloring Ron's face.

"Well, that's settled," Harry said hastily. Ron's eyes stopped narrowing and he said down next to Hermione once more, though the aggravated look was still on his face.

"How long will it take for you to brew the potion, Hermione?" Ginny asked quickly.

"Only three days. It'll take a day to make, and then it needs to simmer for two days," she replied, shooting a sideways glance at Ron. He was no longer looking at Harry like he wanted to punch him, but he was by no means happy.

"I don't like this," Ron said harshly.

"Neither do I, but it's the only option. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life parentless," Hermione responded firmly. The angry crimson color left Ron's face after a moment or two and he sighed.

"Why is everything so difficult…?" He asked weakly.

"Aw come on, Ron. I pity the suckers with easy lives," Harry said, grinning. "I mean, a life without danger everywhere we go? That'd be no fun."

Ron grinned for the first time since the conversation started and laughed along with Harry, but stopped abruptly.

"What-?" Hermione started, but Ron was looking at the closed door, his head cocked.

"Listen…"

Sure enough, the rhythmic thumping of stairs that proved Mrs. Weasley was coming to check up on them reached their ears. Harry and Ron disapparated to their room without another word.

"You two ought to go to bed," Mrs. Weasley said softly, poking her head into their room. "I assume you're leaving first thing in the morning?"

"Yeah, we need to go to St. Mungo's first-" Ginny said, the words registering only after they had come out of her mouth. Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand to her forehead as her mother began to panic.

"St. Mungo's? Why? What's wrong? Are you going to get hurt-" Mrs. Weasley started, her voice reaching hysterical level before Hermione could interrupt her.

"No, Mrs. Weasley, nothing like that. We just need some supplies that are a little, you know, hard to find, for the potion I'm going to make for my parents. I searched Hogwarts on the last day of 6th year and it didn't have them, and I figured St. Mungo's would," Hermione explained quickly. When Mrs. Weasley continued to look worried, but sighed after a moment.

"And none of you are going to get hurt?" She asked finally, looking from Ginny to Hermione. Hermione could feel Ginny's eyes on her as she lied sadly, "No. none of us are going to get hurt."

Mrs. Weasley still looked dubious, but she nodded anyway. "All right, dear. You really need some sleep now, girls. It's after midnight."

"Okay, Mum. Goodnight," Ginny answered softly, climbing into her bed.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione repeated, crawling under her sheets as well.

"Goodnight, girls. And don't forget to say goodbye before you leave!" Mrs. Weasley said fiercely.

"We won't," Hermione and Ginny chorused. Mrs. Weasley nodded and flicked their light off, closing the door softly. They heard the lock click loudly and Mrs. Weasley's footsteps. She was undoubtedly about to go check on Ron and Harry.

"That was a lie, Hermione," Ginny reprimanded Hermione severely. Hermione sighed.

"I know, but if we told her what really needs to be done, she'd probably strap us all to our beds and never let us outside again," she said regretfully. "You know I don't like lying to anyone, least of all your mother."

"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't stop me feeling awful about it. She's been through so much lately; I don't like adding deceit to her list," Ginny whispered.

"Me neither. But at least this will all be over soon," Hermione answered, relief flooding her tone.

"Yeah, that's true. We'll all be back here soon enough. If Ron doesn't murder you for almost killing yourself for a potion," Ginny added cheekily. Hermione rolled her eyes at the ceiling.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with him! Do you think he'll ever let me outside when we get back?" She asked hopelessly.

"Not a chance," Ginny answered smugly. Hermione groaned.

"So, have you had The Talk yet?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Hm?"

"You know, The Talk. The Are-We-Boyfriend-Girlfriend-Or-Not Talk. Have you and Ron had it yet?" Ginny inquired, obviously enjoying making Hermione uncomfortable.

"Um… No…" Hermione countered lamely.

"I thought that's what you did before lunch!" Ginny accused.

"Um… No…" Hermione echoed. A very weak blush was creeping up her face.

"Well, if you didn't have The Talk, what _did_ you two do in town today?" Ginny asked smugly, her voice thick with implications.

"I stopped Ron from murdering Harry, actually! He saw you two in the coffeeshop, you know. I thought he was going to hex Harry right then and there. If I hadn't-"

But she broke off and, unknown to Ginny, began to blush furiously.

"If you hadn't what?" Ginny retorted, laughing.

"Nothing…" Hermione replied unconvincingly. She was silent as Ginny's giggling slowed and then stopped from across the room.

"Whatever, Hermione. I'll see you in the morning. After all, I'm sure that you and Ron will be doing 'nothing' sometime over this trip, anyway. Goodnight," Ginny laughed in a sing-songy voice. Hermione threw a pillow at her and smiled as she heard the yelp that meant she hit the mark.

"You're a prat, you know that? And I'm keeping this pillow," Ginny whispered sourly.

"Goodnight, Ginny!" Hermione whispered, smiling into her remaining pillow.

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Hope everyone liked this chapter! Reviews are appreciated as always! Also, I have another request this time - I need a beta. I was rereading my last chapter and saw a few obvious mistakes that wouldn't be there if I had a beta, so one would be greatly appreciated. PM if you're interested. Thanks!

Peace!


	7. Leaving

Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long - and even more apologies because it's a very high chance that I won't be able to update again before September. Summer is ending and my responsibilites are piling up... Grr. Anyways, hope everyone likes this chapter. I had fun writing it. And thanks to Beneeta for beta-ing!

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Hermione tiptoed out of the room, which was bathed morning light, and closed the door with the tiniest of clicks. There was a hush over the Burrow, which meant that no one was awake but her. She smiled and walked cautiously to the shower, making sure to avoid the numerous squeaky floorboards. Grabbing a frayed white towel from the closet, she went into the small, cramped bathroom and locked the door behind her. The last thing she needed was for Ron to walk in on her in the shower. She sighed as the searing water she had conjured to spout from the showerhead pelted her skull. Today was the day they were going to leave the Burrow, _again_. Hermione really did feel bad about all the strain they were putting on Mrs. Weasley.

_I wonder if she knows about Ron and me…_ Hermione found herself thinking as she washed her hair. _I know she saw us holding hands, but she was really distraught then… she might not remember. Merlin, it's going to be awkward trying to tell her if she doesn't know…_ _and what is DAD going to say…?_

Hermione frowned slightly and stopped the water with a flick of her wand. Her father was overprotective to the extreme. She remembered vaguely a few summers before she had gotten her Hogwarts letter, when a childhood friend of hers, Dave, had held her hand as she crossed the street. Her father had seen from the window and all went downhill from there…

_"Dave, why don't you stay for dinner? I'm sure Hermione would love to have you," Mr. Granger said kindly, though his eyes were cold._

_"Sure!" Dave exclaimed, bouncing inside to wash his hands._

_"Daddy…?" Hermione asked, shooting her father a quizzical look. He had never invited one of her friends to dinner before._

_"Go and wash your hands, dear," Mr. Granger said sweetly, ruffling Hermione's already bushy hair. Hermione grinned and bounded off after Dave._

_"Dave, why don't I show you my study?"__ Mr. Granger said, standing up after everyone had finished eating. Hermione shot her father another confused look, but he just smiled fondly at her before turning back to Dave. Hermione gave the same look to her mother, who gave her daughter a sympathetic look before rolling her eyes at Hermione's father._

_"Um… Sure," Dave agreed, shrugging._

_"We'll only be a minute, pumpkin," Mr. Granger said warmly, patting Hermione on the head. He did not return from his study for nearly ten minutes. He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face, and Dave, who followed after him, looked as though he had seen a ghost. All the blood had left his face and his eyes were wide and panicked._

_"Dave, are you okay?" Hermione asked, startled. Dave shot her a terrified glance and mumbled "I __gotta__ go" before bolting out the front door as if the Devil were chasing him._

_"What did you do?" Mrs. Granger asked reprovingly. Mr. Granger didn't reply._

_"Daddy, why did Dave leave like that?" Hermione asked, bewildered. _

_"He just remembered that his mom expected him home a few minutes ago, sweetie. Don't worry about it," Mr. Granger said affectionately. _

_"Okay, Daddy!" Hermione said, bouncing over to him. He hugged her._

_"Time for bed, Princess," he reminded her._

_"__Aww__, do I have to?" Hermione pouted. Mr. Granger laughed._

_"Go and brush your teeth, love. I'll tuck you in __in__ a minute," he said fondly. Hermione nodded and took the stairs two at a time as she climbed them._

"Oh god… Dad's gonna kill him," Hermione realized, smacking her forehead with a groan. She finished getting dressed and threw her towel on a drying rack on the wall opposite her.

"Dad's gonna kill who?" Asked a voice from beyond the bathroom door. Hermione jumped; she thought everyone was still asleep. She opened the door to see Ron there, grinning sleepily.

"Nothing…" she murmured. She didn't need Ron knowing that her father had a price on his head. Not this early in the morning, at least.

"You d-d-done in there?" He asked, yawning at the same time. Hermione nodded and got out of the way.

"Thanks," Ron said blearily as he stumbled into the bathroom. Hermione heard the lock click as the door shut. She made her way back to the bedroom and saw Ginny sitting up in her bed, looking out her window. There was a beautiful view of Ottery St. Catchpole Hermione had never noticed before, the lights of the Muggle town twinkling in the morning sunshine.

"Morning, Ginny," Hermione said brightly. Ginny turned her head and smiled.

"Morning, Hermione. How long have you been up?"

"Not very long; I just got out of the shower. Did you only just wake up?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied, nodding. Her face fell and her tone became a thousand times more serious. "So today's the day…" she trailed off.

"Yep. Today's the day," Hermione sighed. A gloomy silence fell upon them as Hermione collected the few pieces of clothing that had not remained in her enchanted purse through her short stay at the Burrow.

"Is anyone else up yet…?" Ginny asked finally, fiddling with a corner of her bedspread.

"I passed Ron on my way back to your room, but I don't think anyone else has woken yet," Hermione answered softly. Ginny nodded again. The hush fell between them once more until-

"I just want to get this over with!" Ginny burst out. Hermione sighed.

"Yeah, me too. I don't want to keep sitting here, imagining the look on your mother's face when we Disapparate."

"She's gonna suffocate us with her good-bye hug. I can feel my spine breaking just thinking about it," Ginny said wistfully.

"We'll be back before she knows it, though. Better that we leave now instead of later, you know. Get it out of the way," Hermione answered bracingly. Ginny nodded and walked across the room.

"I'm gonna go see if Ron's done yet," she explained briefly, closing the door behind her. Hermione looked around the room to double-check that nothing had been misplaced. Satisfied with her packing, she took her small beaded bag with her and closed Ginny's door behind her with a small _click._ She was about to venture down the stairs when her foot caught on a nail sticking up in the wood of the floors; she was soon tumbling down the staircase with a yelp.

"Ow!" She cried, knocking into someone at the foot of the stairs.

"What the-? Oof!" yelled Ron, who had been obviously facing the opposite way. Hermione sent him sprawling, and soon they were both on the floor in a very compromising position. Hermione was on top of Ron, their faces just an inch apart. Hermione saw Ron's eye come back into focus and eventually widen at the situation they were in.

"Sorry, Ron…" Hermione said breathlessly, pushing herself off him so quickly that the blush had not even had a chance to rush across his face.

"It's okay, just… watch your step next time," Ron said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. Hermione smiled and heard someone coming down the stairs.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't just see that," Harry said, smirking. Ron thumped him on the back with an embarrassed "Shut it!"

Next to come down the stairs was Mrs. Weasley.

"I thought I heard someone fall – is everyone okay?" She asked, worried. She had obviously just woken up moments before.

"I tripped down the stairs, but I'm fine," Hermione assured her hastily. She bit her lip and looked around the kitchen.

"Where's Ginny?" She inquired, her own eyes wide with fear now.

"Taking a shower," Hermione replied. Mrs. Weasley nodded and busied herself with getting some pans out of the cabinet under the stove.

"I'll make you some breakfast while you wait for her," she said with her back to them. Her voice broke on the last word and her hands were shaking. Hermione shot Ron and Harry worried looks but neither of them seemed capable of coming p with anything to say to calm her down.

"We're going to be fine, Mrs. Weasley. And we'll be back in two weeks, tops," Hermione reminded her quietly. Mrs. Weasley sniffed loudly as she got some eggs out of the refrigerator.

"I know, I know… But trouble just seems to follow you kids, no matter what you're doing. I'm just worried... worried…"

"We're all going to be fine," Hermione stated firmly. She ignored the accusatory look Ron sent her.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Mrs. Weasley replied, breaking open the eggs over her frying pan. Steam rose from the stove, temporarily obscuring Mrs. Weasley's tearstained face. Ginny came down the stairs, her hair wet.

"Morning, Mum," she said cautiously.

"Morning, Ginny. How did you sleep?" Mrs. Weasley asked worriedly, prodding the eggs in the frying pan with her wand. She slid its contents onto four separate plates and placed them in front of Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny.

"Good. How… are you?" Ginny replied, wincing as she spoke. Mrs. Weasley's face tautened.

"Better than I could be," she responded finally, fixing them each with a hawklike stare to make sure they finished their eggs. They ate in silence, avoiding each other and Mrs. Weasley's eyes. The only sound was the clinking of forks against plates. Soon, everyone had finished eating and an awkward silence fell between them. Hermione was surprised that no one else was awake yet.

"Well, I suppose you four will be leaving, then?" Mrs. Weasley asked weakly. Hermione saw the desperate, pleading look on her face and felt the familiar waves of guilt and sorrow crash through her.

"Yeah, we'd better get going. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied earnestly. Mrs. Weasley said nothing, but pulled him into a suffocating hug. She swooped down on Ron next; Hermione heard several bones in his spine pop as his mother squeezed him. Ginny was soon stuck her mother's smothering embrace and Hermione caught sight of her gasping for breath before Mrs. Weasley swept down on Hermione and embraced her so forcefully that she thought her spine would break then and there.

"You will be careful, won't you? _All_ of you?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, fixing Harry in particular with a hard glare.

"Yes, we promise," they chorused. Mrs. Weasley gave them an obviously forced smile and said, "Goodbye, then. And for goodness sake, _take care of yourselves!"_

"We will. Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione assured her. Ginny and Ron murmured "Goodbye, Mum," just as Harry nodded and muttered, "Bye."

Hermione took hold of Ron, Harry, and Ginny's hands and turned on the spot. The Weasley's kitchen disappeared in a flash of blinding color and sound and Hermione felt the familiar loss of air and the sensation of being squeezed through a tube. It was over as soon as it had begun and she found herself looking at a huge Victorian white mansion, with sprawling grounds and a handsome ivory gate, which was open. A light layer of dust had settled on it.

"Welcome to my house," she said shyly. She looked to see Ron, Harry, and Ginny staring at it, open-mouthed.

"Blimey," croaked Ron.

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Hope everyone liked this chapter. Reviews are loved! As are the people who leave them

Peace!


	8. Arriving

I'm so sorry this took so long! I've been really lazy lately. It's my last free week of summer, and I'm taking full advantage of it. Sorry if this has a lot of mistakes or typos; I didn't have time to get it betaed. This is actually my last day that I'll be able to be online until school starts in three weeks and I wanted to give you all _something_ before then. Hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to make them longer! Baby steps, people. Baby steps. xD

**Disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR.**

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Hermione tried to think back to a time when she had been more embarrassed than this. She couldn't think of anything.

"We should probably go inside…" she hinted, showing Harry and Ginny in the backs a little. They both jumped and looked back at her as if they had forgotten she was there.

"Huh?" They asked in unison. Hermione sighed angrily.

"_I said,_ we should probably go inside," she muttered. They nodded and walked toward her front door slowly, both looking around them as if expecting something to come popping out of the bushes.

"You… live here?" Inquired a quiet, awestruck voice behind her. She spun around and saw Ron looking up at her house, his mouth open slightly. She nodded.

"Wow," Ron said finally, after seeming to struggle with himself. His face was troubled. Hermione knew what was on his mind, but she was afraid to voice it. Ron was always so touchy when it came to his family's money problems.

"Are we going to go inside?" She asked after a long moment. Ron forced a smile and followed her into the house. Hermione shoved a silver key into the door's keyhole and walked inside.

They followed Hermione through the door. A large staircase slithered up the wall to their left, while a small desk was ahead of them with an official-looking black telephone with a pad of paper and a pen next to it. A doorway to their right looked as though it led into a living room, while a doorway to their left revealed a large and extravagant wooden dining-room table.

"Right, well…" Hermione stuttered, uncomfortably aware of the blush rising in her cheeks, "Up the stairs is my room, my parents' room, the guest room, my bathroom, and my parent's bathroom, and to the left is the dining room… and the living room is on the right…" she trailed off.

"Geez, Hermione. How can you say you're not loaded after we've seen this?" Harry asked jokingly, looking curiously up the stairs.

"Do you guys like it…? I know it's a bit much, but-"

"Like it? It's amazing!" Ginny interrupted. "Can we go look at your room?"

"Er… yeah, I want to unload my clothing from this bag," Hermione said apprehensively. She walked up the stairs and heard Harry, Ron, and Ginny following her.

_They'll get used to it…_ she thought to herself, wishing it was true. She took the farthest door on the left and opened it with a flick of her wand. It was large with off-white walls. A spacious bed lied in the center of the room; a maroon bedspread and striped pillows arranged at the head neatly. A single stuffed tiger sat on the bed, looking almost forlorn and accusatory for not having been even looked at in more than a year. There were two windows, both with matching maroon curtains. A light layer of dust was settled on the surfaces of the large desk and bureau, which were a deep mahogany. The carpet was the same shade of off-white as the walls and spotless. Impressive-looking wooden doors hid the contents of Hermione's closet.

"So… this is my room," Hermione said, looking at her friends for approval. Harry and Ron were looking at the stuffed tiger with an identical smirk on their faces and Ginny was nodding appreciatively.

"Nice," Ginny said, still looking back and forth slowly.

"What's with the tiger?" Harry and Ron asked in unison. Hermione surpassed her rosy pink blush to go roughly the shade of her bedspread.

"I've had him ever since he was little," she mumbled. Harry sniggered.

"Oh, shut up," she snapped.

"What's his name?" Ron asked, one of his eyebrows raised and the smirk becoming more pronounced.

"I wasn't a very imaginative 3-year-old; you could probably guess if you wanted to," Hermione said, half-amused, half-defensive.

"Let me think… Stripes?"

"Told you I wasn't very imaginative," Hermione sniffed. Ginny laughed.

"Do you guys want to see the guest bedroom? You can share the bed in there," Hermione asked. Harry looked alarmed and Ron looked uncomfortable.

"What?"

"Guys… don't share beds," Ron finally said gruffly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What's the big deal? Ginny and I are going to share my bed, and we don't have a problem with it, do we?" Hermione asked, looking to Ginny for support. Ginny shook her head.

"No, of course not."

"Well, it's different for girls!" Ron replied, his ears turning pink.

"How?" Hermione retorted.

"It just is!"

"Oh, good comeback," Hermione said scathingly. Ron's ears were _almost_ red.

"Well, it is! Girls don't care about stuff like sleeping in the same bed and everything, but it's different for guys!"

"Alright, I'll ask again. Why?"

"I'll answer again: it just is!"

"Ron, this is ridiculous! You and Harry share a room; why not a bed?"

"Guys just don't do that kind of stuff… Help me out here, Gin-"

But Ginny and Harry were laughing silently, both with their hands covering their mouths.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"You're right," Harry told Ginny, wiping a tear of laughter away from the corner of his eye, "they ARE just like your Mum and Dad."

Hermione felt her face burn and saw Ron's face redden as well. She pointedly avoided looking at him and was sure he was doing the same as she mumbled "we are not…" halfheartedly.

"Yeah, sure. So, where's this room where Ron's going to be sleeping on the floor while I sleep in the bed?" Harry asked slyly.

"Hey! Who said you were getting the bed?" Ron asked indignantly.

"I do! Weren't you listening?" Harry asked, grinning. Ron was about to retort when Hermione sighed as loud as she could and said in a bored voice, "Follow me."

The door right next to hers happened to be the guest bedroom. The room was accented with a pale green bedspread and curtains. It was extremely similar to Hermione's, in fact, except without as many pillows and the absence of Stripes. The bureau was about twice the size of Hermione's and there was no desk except one by the bed, however.

"You two can argue over who's sleeping on the floor later, okay? I want to make sure I have everything for the potion," Hermione announced. Ron's face darkened a moment before he swore explosively, slapping his forehead.

"What?" Hermione asked, alarmed.

"We still need to go to St. Mungo's! For the Blood-Replenishing Potion!" Ron explained, pulling out his wand as if he expected them to Apparate right then and there.

"Actually, Ron… Now that I remember it, I think I have enough ingredients to make it here. We don't need to go to St. Mungo's after all. I forgot about a second stash I hid downstairs; it's all my emergency ingredients. Let me just go check," Hermione said, dashing out of the room. She half-ran down the stairs. She had lied; she had no idea if she had all the components necessary for a Blood-Replenishing Potion, but the more she thought of it, the more she was sure that St. Mungo's would just give away as much Blood-Replenishing Potion as she would need. Harry Potter regardless.

She got into her kitchen and dug for a small box no bigger than a ring box in a large container of sugar. She had bewitched it to be invisible to all but her, and it looked as though no Death Eaters had come to call during her absence, but you could never be too sure…

_Gotcha!_ She thought, fishing out the box she was looking for. She ripped the lid off and saw about fifty miniscule beakers and vials, the cork on each one no bigger than a pinprick.

"Engorgio!"

The containers grew to their proper size and she laid them all on the countertop.

_Black widow venom… Dragon bile… sphinx blood… yes, I think it's all here…_

"Do you have everything you need?" Asked Ron from the doorway. Hermione glanced up to see him, Ginny, and Harry giving her equal looks of concern.

"I think so… let me just make sure," Hermione replied, sorting through the small beaded bag that still hung on her shoulder. She pulled out _Moste__Pontente__ Potions_ a moment later and laid it flat on the counter.

"Let's see… Blood-Replenishing Potion… Blood-Replen- ah! Two phoenix tears… powdered krup spine… three teeth of a thestral… yes, I have it all," Hermione replied confidently. Relief broke out on Harry and Ginny's faces, while Ron let out the breath he had obviously been holding.

"It looks like I can get this started tomorrow. Tonight's a new moon, right?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I think so," Harry assured her.

"Good. Well… what time is it?" Asked Hermione, peering around her kitchen. Her face fell after a moment of this and her eyes became misty.

"About noon. Didn't you mention a town near here, Hermione? We should go check it out," Harry suggested.

"Yeah, good idea. You guys go ahead; I just want to recheck my ingredients. They nodded, and Ron lingered by the doorway until Hermione reassured him that she just wanted to make sure she had enough lionfish scales and she would be out in a minute. As soon as she heard the front door close, she let the tears that had been threatening to overtake her for the past half-minute streak down her face. She bit her lip as hard as she could and continued to let her tears fall for three seconds more until realizing that her face had most likely gotten all red and blotchy like it always did when she cried.

"Oh no…" she muttered thickly.

"Hermione? What's wrong?"

Hermione jumped. She didn't hear Ron come back inside, and now he was watching her blubber.

_Way to __go_, said a sarcastic voice in the back of her head.

"N-nothing," she lied, sniffling a bit.

"Hermione, what is it? You can tell me anything," Ron said softly, taking her hand. Hermione looked into his bright blue eyes, full of concern, and felt another two tears leak out of her own.

"I-It's just that… the last time I was in here, I was wiping my parent's memories. Once I was done, the look they gave me… the honestly had _no idea_ who I was. It destroyed _everything._ What if some things d-don't come back? What if they have no memory of me getting my letter, or-"

"Hermione, stop. Nothing is going to stay lost. You're the most brilliant person I know and there's no way that you're going to do this potion wrong. Assuming you don't pass out in the middle of it…" Ron muttered, his eyes narrowing. He brought himself back after a moment. "Anyway, you shouldn't worry. We're going to get your parents back and they'll remember just how special you are."

Hermione nodded thickly. "Yeah, you're right. But still. I can't help but worry. You know how I am."

"Yes, I do. And I know that it's impossible for you to mess this potion up, or anything for that matter. You can do anything you set your mind to," Ron murmured, squeezing her hand within his. She nodded again and smiled.

"Thanks, Ron."

But before he could reply, Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She could feel his surprise, again, but he responded the same way as he always did – eager and pleased. Hermione threw her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her. The kiss was getting more and more heated until-

"Will you two get a room!"

Ginny and Harry were standing side by side at the frame of the door, both with looks of mixed disgust and amusement on their faces.

"It was an _empty_ room before you two came butting in!" Ron growled, but he was smiling with his arms still around Hermione. She flushed and smiled nervously.

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Hope this was a good chapter for you all! Remember, reviews make the world go round!

Peace!


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